Rockland teen attends prom with Jenny Dell

In October, the cross-country runner and lacrosse player at Rockland High School launched a Twitter campaign asking Dell to go to the prom with him.

Staff Reporter

ROCKLAND - When it comes to prom proposals, Cameron Stuart, 16, of Rockland pitched the perfect game when he persuaded NESN anchor/reporter Jenny Dell to be his date for his junior prom.In October, the cross-country runner and lacrosse player at Rockland High School launched a Twitter campaign asking Dell to go to the prom with him.

On Thursday night, his effort paid off when Dell showed up at his house to kick off the evening with prom pictures with Cameron and some of his closest friends.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Dell said about Cameron’s Twitter invitation. “When you see someone that puts that much time and effort into something, you have to take the time and give him the benefit of the doubt.”

While Cameron was not the first person to ask Dell to a prom over social media, his persistence made him the first to win her over.

“There’s been people who have tweeted out here or there, ‘Will you come to prom with me?’, ‘Would you be my date to this wedding?’ but nothing like the effort that this man put in right here,” Dell said.

However, not even all of his online courting could keep Cameron from feeling butterflies in his stomach when Dell arrived.

“I found out what real nervousness is, I can tell you that, but I think it’s subsided now,” Cameron joked after snapping a few pictures with Dell. “I feel like a million bucks.”

The Rockland student looked the part, too, dressed in a tux with a red tie and vest as he and Dell, a former prom queen, got into the white limo that was taking them to the prom.

On the way, Cameron talked to Dell’s boyfriend, Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks, during a post-game phone call.

Cameron had asked Dell if Middlebrooks was OK with the date before he made the prom plans.

“It was very sweet. It was very gentlemanly of him to make sure,” Dell said.

Dell made an impression on those in attendance, posing for pictures with students and chatting with faculty and friends.

“Jenny has been extremely gracious,” said Superintendent John Retchless. “She seems like a charming young lady.”